Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-15271 discloses a rack transporting apparatus, connected to an examination apparatus examining a sample such as blood and urine, for automatically supplying the sample to the examining apparatus. The rack transporting apparatus transports the rack holding a plurality of sample containers in the front and back direction and in the left and right direction, and sequentially arranges each sample container at an aspirating position facing a sample aspirating part of the examination apparatus. The examination apparatus normally operates in conjunction with the rack transporting apparatus to aspirate the sample from the sample container arranged at the aspirating position facing the sample aspirating part and to perform the examination according to a predetermined procedure.
The type of rack transporting apparatus connected to the examination apparatus differs depending on the facility where the examination apparatus is installed, and so on. Different rack transporting apparatuses may be connected to one type of examination apparatus depending on the facilities. If the rack transporting apparatus connected to the examination apparatus differs, the configuration, the operation, and the operation control of a transport driving unit thereof differ. Thus, the program for controlling the operation of the rack transporting apparatus differs. In this case, the task of incorporating the program corresponding to the type of rack transporting apparatus in the examination apparatus, various setting tasks and checking tasks are normally required every time for each facility installed with the rack transporting apparatus. Thus, great amount of trouble and time are required. Similar tasks are required when replacing the already installed rack transporting apparatus with a different type, and thus the efficiency is very bad.